Ovation Taps Media Storm To Give ‘Versailles’ Royal Treatment

Ovation TV has tapped Media Storm, led by cable programming veteran Christina Norman, as agency of record behind a fancy-dressed marketing and promotional campaign for its new drama Versailles, which debuted Oct. 1.

The series, about the young King Louis XIV of France in the splendor of 17th-century Versailles, is backed by an aggressive cross-platform campaign that uses Media Storm’s JubaPlus audience segmentation analysis platform to reach fans of other lush historical fare.

Norman, whose CV includes stints as CEO of The Oprah Winfrey Network and president of MTV, told The Wire her company is helping Ovation maximize ad and promotional buys. “For these smaller, emerging networks, they have to be surgical with their budgets — they have no room for waste,” she said. “So what a really great analytic platform can give them is that laser-focused targeting that makes sure that an ad is going in front of someone who has a higher propensity to watch.”

Media Storm and Ovation also hosted three invite-only, French themed dinners around New York last week, featuring cast members and producers. Norman’s agency also created a Facebook campaign aimed at consumers interested in French culture. Billy Zane (whose sister, Lisa, sang) and Helen Mirren (aunt of executive producer Simon Mirren) were among the guests.